Now when traveling to Sapa, people say that Sapa is like a city now, that Sapa is now very crowded. Everywhere, there are a lot of restaurants and hotels, no longer the simple simplicity of ethnic minority villages with thatched roofs, with earthen walls nestled in the morning dew on hillsides and mountainsides. That’s because you keep wandering around in the center of Sapa town, so you don’t know many primitive and rustic villages of that ethnic people.
If you go another 12 km out of town you will reach Ta van village – a village in Sapa Lao Cai. Unlike Cat Cat village, Ta Van village is located far from the center of Sapa town, so it is still extremely wild, bearing the bold lifestyle of the mountainous ethnic people here. Going to Ta Van village, you will be immersed in the idyllic life of the Mong, Red Dao and Giay ethnic groups. You will experience a quiet life, away from the noisy and crowded city. If you have traveled to Sapa and are looking for a time to slow down to find peace of mind, cross the stream and cross the road to Ta Van village!
Where is Ta Van Sapa village located?
Ta Van village is located in Ta Van commune, Sapa district, Lao Cai province. As Cuong has just shared, Ta Van village is only about 12 km from Sapa town.
According to the Mong ethnic group, Ta Van means a large arc, because the village leans against the Hoang Lien Son mountain range and the front is the winding Muong Hoa stream.
Ta Van village is home to the Mong people for a long time, in addition, there are also Red Dao and Giay people. If you want to admire the whole beauty of Muong Hoa valley, you must definitely visit Ta Van village.
Instructions on how to go to Ta Van Sapa village
Crazy knows that many of you traveling to Sapa often rent a hotel in the center of Sapa town, then depart to Sapa tourist destinations such as Cat Cat village, Muong Hoa valley, Ta Van village. Because it is about 12 km from the center of Sapa town, Cuong often sees tourists renting motorbike taxis, taxis or cars to go to Ta Van village.
For those of you traveling to Sapa on your own, you can ask the hotel where you stay in the center of Sapa town to hire a motorbike to help you drive to Ta Van village. As far as Cuong knows, many hotels in Sapa already have car rental services and guide to transport tourists to tourist attractions in Sapa. Those of you who have a hard steering wheel, confidently go to the mountain road, and don’t go crazy, you can rent a car to drive yourself, if you drive yourself, it’s good to be free, when you like to stop, stop, when you like to go. right. If you are afraid of losing your way or are not very confident in your mountain road experience, you can rent a motorbike taxi. It is better to rent a motorbike taxi because Cuong finds the road a bit zigzag and small, with many rough and rocky sections, quite difficult to go.
For those of you going on a package tour to Sapa, it is much simpler, the tour companies have already prepared vehicles, drivers and guides to take you to the attractions.
For those of you who want to rent a taxi or a car to go to Ta Van village, Cuong would like to tell you that you should rent a car with less than 16 seats, because big cars are not allowed to enter the village. However, Cuong still finds that many people choose to ride motorbikes to Ta Van village because they can be more comfortable taking pictures than traveling by car.
Cuong will guide you on the way from Sapa town center to Ta Van village, in case you want to find your own way. From Sapa town, you move through Cau May street, follow the flow of Muong Hoa stream to reach Ta Van village. From Muong Hoa street, you go all the way to the inner city of Sapa and you will arrive at the ticket gate. From this ticket gate, you will be directed to Ta Van village. At the beginning of the village, there is a red iron bridge spanning Muong Hoa stream leading to Ta Van village. In addition, today due to the needs of tourism development, Sapa has exploited many roads, each road turns into a different village, so for backpackers, you like to grope the way, you can Follow the path to another version.
On the way to Ta Van village, you will pass many famous tourist attractions of Sapa such as ancient stone beach. For those of you who do not know, Cuong would like to introduce this ancient stone beach. Sapa ancient stone site has an area of ​​​​about 8 square kilometers, discovered in 1925. Sapa ancient stone area is spread with nearly 200 stone blocks, but the special thing is that these stone blocks have an infinite shape. as rich and unique as stairs, people, roads, and writing. Today, this ancient carving area has been classified as a national monument and a unique heritage of the ancient Vietnamese people. Many scientists both at home and abroad have come to this ancient rock area to study the strange inscriptions on the rocks, but still have not been able to discover the origin and formation process of these rocks. This ancient stone beach is located in the territory of Lao Chai commune – a place with extremely beautiful mountain scenery. So Cuong thinks that on the way to Ta Van village, you have not reached the destination, you have been wandering around in Lao Chai village all day.
The last way to reach Ta Van village is trekking, that is, walking to Ta Van village. This way Cuong sees backpackers apply a lot. Along the way, Cuong met his friends walking a lot, convenient to admire the view of Muong Hoa valley and take selfie photos as much as you like. This way of walking is a bit difficult, but it is worth going through so many hardships to reach the destination. The road is also easy to go, paved to the center of the village. You can ask the H’Mong girls to go to Sapa market to ask them to come back to the village. Sure, when you walk and talk with honest ethnic girls, the distance will be shorter and you will learn a lot more about the life of the ethnic people.
Ticket price for Ta Van Sapa village
A few years ago, to visit Ta Van village, visitors did not lose tickets. The entrance gate is also not strictly controlled. But now, most of the tourist attractions in Sapa collect entrance tickets, so Ta Van village is no exception. The purpose of collecting tickets to visit Ta Van village is to support the lives of people in the village. The money from ticket sales is also used to repair and maintain the road down to the village.
When Cuong traveled to Sapa earlier this year, the ticket price to visit Ta Van village was 75,000 VND/adult. However, the gate does not seem to be very strict, on bad weather days or around noon, there are usually no ticket inspectors, so you can enter for free, or many people who take a taxi to the village will not be ticketed! Or you can tell the managers at the ticketing station that you go to Ta Van village to visit Mr. A, B, C’s house… they will let you in.
Let’s go to Ta Van Sapa to see what’s there?
1. Terraced fields
Referring to the outstanding scenery of Ta Van village, it would be very remiss to ignore the terraced fields. The terraced fields by the hands of many years of labor of the ethnic people meander on the hillsides and mountainsides, spreading out as far as the eye can see without any forest spots. The terraced fields and the mountainous scenery with the same green and one color give you a majestic natural scene. Standing here, in the midst of the vast sky and earth, breathing in the fresh, pristine air of the highlands, you will have the same feeling as Cuong, feel like you have returned to a wild, pristine place. water, without the destruction of industry, without the hustle and bustle of the city. If you want to go somewhere for a few days, “throw it all away”, want to escape for just a few days from the hustle and bustle of the city to slow down,
You can visit the terraced fields at Ta Van village in any season of the year and get the checkin photos of a lifetime. Coming to Ta Van village in the season when people bring water to the fields, you will see terraced fields like giant silver-white mirrors, reflecting the mountain scenery. Coming to Ta Van village in the summer, the terraced rice fields are green and cool. Autumn is also the golden season, the harvest season, the season when many tourists find their way up to Ta Van village to see the golden sea of ​​rice. . In the late afternoon, watching the buffalo children crossing the buffalo’s back to leave made Cuong again encounter a very familiar scene in the old Vietnamese villages that Cuong had not seen for a long time. If you go to Ta Van village in the spring, You will see the old houses mixed with the bright pink color of peach blossom and the white color of pear and plum flowers. Ta Van’s sky with rain, dust and fog brings a fuzzy feeling, as if lost in a dream world, not a real one. Ta Van village in winter covered with white snow gives people the feeling of being lost in a pure plain, without any turbidity.
2. House of ethnic minorities in Ta Van village
Another profound impression of Ta Van village to Cuong is the old houses located close to the roadside. It is said to be old, but these houses are built very beautifully, the people live clean and tidy. Some beautiful houses that you should come and take photos are Mr. Hoang Din’s house, Lo A Muc’s house… Mr. Lo A Mu’s house was built in 1934, it’s really old for a long time, isn’t it! This is a typical wooden house with the ground floor of the Giay people. Entering the house, you will see the ancestral altar made of pomu wood, with an ancient structure very typical of the ethnic people. When traveling, Cuong likes to immerse himself in the lives of local people, learn about where they live, about their daily routines, and about the traditional customs and habits of the local people. . Come to Ta Van,
3. Beautiful natural scenery at Ta Van Sapa village
Coming to Sapa village, you will admire the beautiful natural picture of the Northwest mountains. You will be immersed in the murmuring stream, the sound of wild birds, clear, and discover the idyllic and rustic beauty of the village scene here. Ta Van village in Sapa is facing the magnificent Muong Hoa stream, leaning against the mountain, the houses here follow the custom left by their ancestors, all facing the northeast to avoid going down the stream and not facing the face. house in the mountain.
4. Experience the life of the people in Ta Van Sapa village
If you are too “afraid” of tourist attractions, where you go, someone will follow you to buy goods there, making you travel, but only adding to your frustration and no time to enjoy the scenery or rest. Then try once to Ta Van Sapa village. Local people do not make Ta Van tourism industrialized. In addition to creating food and accommodation for tourists, the people of Ta Van village do not do fancy tourism. People’s lives still go on normally, working in the fields in the morning, knitting and weaving in the evening. For the people here, tourists are like pilgrims stopping by, coming and going.
The people of Ta Van Sapa are not too excited, they make you uncomfortable, but they are not superficial, still giving you a feeling of friendliness, honesty and hospitality like the very nature of the people here. When staying at homestays in Ta Van village, you will feel like you are in your own home. The indigenous people will not interfere with your precious rest time, but still provide you with delicious meals with mountain specialties and full facilities to make your vacation enjoyable. complete and comfortable, the most comfortable.
When walking on the roads in Ta Van village, you will see many ethnic children selling brocade products and beautiful souvenirs. About the price, it is not expensive at all, Cuong bought a bracelet for only 10k, after buying it, he invited the children to take pictures with him, it was fun. It’s true that because it’s in the tourist area, even the children who are very young can shoot English like the wind. Cuong listens to them and respects them.
Another interesting thing is that on the roads in Ta Van, you will encounter countless black Muong pigs with white swirls on their heads. This uncle is fat, round, chubby, and full of belly. Crazy stopped to try to rub their fur but they were gentle and not bad at all, just lay still and let Cuong caress. Or perhaps in the tourist area, so many people pass by, so they are bold enough to not know anymore.
5. Check in the super nice homestays in Ta Van Sapa village
Perhaps a day visit in Ta Van village is not enough and yet, you need to find a place to stay for a few days so that you can visit all the interesting places mentioned above and to be able to learn about life. the lives of the indigenous people. Therefore, Cuong will introduce you to some interesting homestays in Ta Van village. Like in Cat Cat village, Ta Van village now has a lot of homestays to serve the needs of domestic and foreign tourists. Wherever you go, you can find places for rent with homestays or overnight rentals. It can be said that homestays grow like mushrooms. So you no longer have to worry about going out quickly during the day and then returning to Sapa town before it gets dark, nor do you need to worry about not having a place to sleep in the village. In Ta Van village, there are now many beautiful homestays with full amenities for you to have a good night’s sleep. And the price is very cheap, only 50,000 – 100,000 VND/night, too cheap compared to other famous tourist areas, isn’t it.
If you travel to Sapa in the high season, you can call to reserve a place at a homestay in Ta Van village, but according to Cuong, this is not very necessary. In Ta Van village, there are many homestays for you to choose from, no need to worry about the sky and earth.
Some homestays are quite famous today, which are checked by many hotgirls on Facebook, in Ta Van village, such as Ta Van Go homestay, Ta Van Hill homestay, Ta Van Family homestay, La Dao Homestay…
6. Pose with ethnic costumes
When you put on the traditional costumes of ethnic girls, you will feel like a local. You can rent these costumes and take pictures with your friends among the terraced fields or by the craggy bridges over the stream or take pictures with ethnic children.
7. Shopping at markets
For those of you who want to buy local specialties or beautiful souvenirs as gifts for relatives or friends, you should visit the markets. Cuong’s impression of the ethnic minority’s fair is the colorful scene with colorful costumes and mixed items, feeling like being lost in the flower forest. Each item at these markets has a very unique style of the ethnic groups in the Northwest that can’t be found anywhere else, ensuring you will get unique items after scouring these markets.
8. Immerse yourself in the cultural festivals of the ethnic people
If you travel to Sapa in the spring and visit Ta Van village, you will be immersed in the traditional festivals of the ethnic people. There is nothing more fun than being immersed in the bustling dance in the sound of the trumpet, the lip zither, and the Khen la of the ethnic boys. This is also a very good opportunity for you to learn about the unique culture, traditions and customs of the ethnic groups. At night, many ethnic people make campfires, perform traditional musical performances such as dancing stalls, dancing fans, blowing trumpets, etc. You will not feel lonely in the remote village or anything, no. The time here at night is extremely busy and warm.
9. Learn about Ta Van Giay village
Ta Van Giay village is a place that still preserves more of the original customs of the indigenous people than other villages in Ta Van. Ta Van Giay village is the oldest village in Ta Van, located in Hoang Lien National Park. I see a lot of backpackers walking hard to go very deep into the villages located deep in Ta Van village to explore. You can find your way to Seo My Ty village, located 14 km from the center of Ta Van commune, where there is a very large and beautiful lake, still preserving the wild beauty because few people know it.
The Giay people’s main job is to grow rice, so if you want, you can learn about how to grow rice on terraced fields, see if it’s any different from the Kinh’s wet-rice culture. In addition, the people of Ta Van Giay village also have a profession of making silver jewelry, making handmade production tools that require skillful and meticulous hands of craftsmen.
The village of Giay ethnic group in Ta Van has a history of over 300 years since the first Giay people came to reclaim and establish the village. The village has a large number of clans such as the San family, the Vang family, the Lu family, etc. in which, according to the village elders, the San family is the earliest family to come here. The ethnic groups live scattered in villages, hamlets, and Muong at the foot of the mountain, next to valleys, along rivers and streams, surrounded by the Mong ethnic group living together. The Giay people to this day still keep the traditional culture, customs, beliefs and festivals left by their ancestors intact.
10. Checkin Cau May in Ta Van village
The bridge that once caused a crazy fever on social networks and even famous abroad is the May Bridge in Ta Van village. Since ancient times, villagers often create bridges across streams and rivers to make roads. The bridges are connected by forest ropes and thin slices of wood. That’s why it was named Cau May. Today, most of the bridges over the stream leading to the village are replaced by iron bridges to ensure safety. Therefore, the rare Cloud Bridge that is still preserved in Ta Van village is the reason why tourists come back to admire and produce many melancholy checkin photos. However, this bridge has been made for a long time and is quite difficult to walk, so you need to be careful when going to the middle of the bridge to take pictures, especially in the rainy season, the thin wooden slices can become slippery. However, the feeling of precarious climbing on a rope bridge over the stream is also quite adventurous.
Why did Cuong say above that the May Bridge in Ta Van is world famous. It is thanks to a photo taken by American photographer Skip Nall on May Ta Van Bridge on the occasion of traveling to Sapa with friends. The photo of the Cloud Bridge in the misty weather has been sold in the stores of Swedish furniture company IKEA and has attracted the attention of many travel lovers around the world. Many tourists, after admiring the photo of the May Bridge, did not mind the long distance, traveling to Vietnam and Sapa, looking to Ta Van village to see this bridge firsthand.
Enjoy specialties in Ta Van Sapa village
The delicious dishes that will make you forget the way back when coming to Ta Van village are Muong Hum grilled stream fish, Muong Khuong horse meat Thang Co, Bac Ha armpit pork and Van Ban five-color sticky rice, dishes made from corn, upland sticky rice, buckwheat, chicken. Currently, tourism in Ta Van village has been very developed, along with many delicious restaurants and eateries, so you don’t need to worry about not finding a restaurant. Make sure that when you leave Ta Van village, you will be full with delicious specialties, eat once and remember forever.
1. Grilled stream fish:
Sapa stream fish has many types and it is worth mentioning that there is no fishy taste. Going on a Sapa tour to eat stream fish, you just need to cook it on charcoal, then eat it hot right away or bake it, deep-fried and then fried with tomato sauce, curry powder, and pepper powder. a delicious dish. The stream fish here are as big as 2-3 fingers. The fish is usually green in color to make it easy to camouflage when mixed with mossy rocks. Stream fish have many bones, so the highland people only deep-fried to eat both bones and meat, but not cooked or braised, steamed… The fish in a fat pan turns golden yellow, giving off an ecstatic fragrance. The head of the cod fish is fatty, crispy, the thin scales are shivering because of the hot fat, the inside is a layer of sweet and fragrant meat, you can even chew the crispy fish bones. Dip fish in delicious fish sauce mixed with lemon and chili, eat with boiled cabbage tops and hot rice in a cold Muong Hum evening. feeling great. In addition to deep-fried fish, local people also love the intestines of Chung stream fish. They consider it a specialty and a folk medicine to help men stay healthy and women stay young. People from the lowlands up here do not dare to eat fish intestines for fear of “single stomach”. Perhaps that is why indigenous people, especially men, sympathize with tourists because they say: “Indigenous people sometimes fight just for the guts of fish. Lowland people don’t eat this dish, they like it!”
2. Thang Co:
Thang co is an indispensable popular dish of the Northwest ethnic groups, especially in the fairs of the highland ethnic minorities. The traditional Thang Co was originally cooked only from horses, later modified by other ethnic groups with beef, buffalo, and pigs, and created many different ingredients and recipes. However, the best Thang Co is still Thang Co horse in Bac Ha, Muong Khuong, Sa Pa – Lao Cai, the hometown of this unique Sapa specialty.
The traditional Thang Co pot has horse meat, heart, heart, liver, horse blood … and 12 spices cardamom, cinnamon chi, lemongrass, ginger and many other heirloom spices. In which, Thang Co is the 12th spice. Thang Co is prepared quite simply. Horse meat and organs are washed, marinated with traditional spices. Then use a large saucepan, add all the meat and offal, stir-fry until the meat is tender, pour the water into the pan and keep simmering for hours on the hot coals. Parts such as: intestines, heart, liver, blood, meat, bones, are added last and simmered, vegetables can be added.
When eating, people will scoop the broth into the hot pot, cut the horse meat and put it in. The dipping vegetables are the cat, kohlrabi, cabbage… The dipping sauce is made with a special chili sauce in Muong Khuong, which has a salty, spicy, and strong taste that, when eaten, has a warming effect. Horse offal when processed clean has a very fragrant taste, very crispy and delicious to eat. The characteristic taste of horse meat, fleshy and sweet mixed with the seasoning is really unmatched.
3. Bac Ha’s armpit pig
The Piggy Arms pigs are raised in a natural environment and are allowed to roam freely, since they were born, they have been free to live in the garden on their own, to find wild vegetables and tubers to eat, but not to be fed, bathed, or slept. in a solid barn like other pigs. Pigs are usually raised for free within a year, the largest ones only weigh 20kg, otherwise the average range is only 10kg. Piggy Armpit pork is very firm, sweet, and especially low in fat, and is fragrant, not smelly like pigs raised with bran to gain weight. Cuong’s feeling when eating Bac Ha armpit pork is that it is not as greasy as pork, and is not dry due to being too lean like wild boar, fat but not boring, lean but not fibrous. Typical dishes made from Armpit Pigs such as whole grilled meat, charcoal grilled tongs, etc. In addition, if you want to make dishes such as stir-fried, steamed, or fake civet, it is also very delicious. Armpit Pigs are mainly sold at highland markets, where ethnic people often gather and exchange goods on weekends. When roasting pork under the armpit, Cuong tells you a trick is to both roast and sweep honey all over the pig’s body. Honey helps the pig’s body when grilled not to crack and has a very eye-catching golden color.
4. Grilled Chicken
Ban chickens are raised and released by ethnic people, and they feed themselves in mountainous areas, so the meat is tough and firm. When coming to Sapa, Cuong tasted lemon pepper grilled chicken, this dish is a must-eat, the new piece of chicken is so sweet, fragrant and soft, now that I remember it, Cuong feels hungry again. When eating, you use your hands to tear a piece of chicken and dip it in a spicy, aromatic sauce, what a new feeling!
Some notes when traveling to Ta Van Sapa village
- Because Ta Van village is located in the high mountains, when traveling, you should prepare warm clothes. Ta Van will experience very cold temperatures in winter, and warmer spring and summer temperatures.
- If you want to stay and visit Ta Van village for a few days, you should prepare an ID card in advance to register for temporary residence.
- In addition, the road to Ta Van village is quite winding, so if you have a history of motion sickness, you should take anti-sickness medicine or choose a means of transportation by motorbike.
- If you go to Ta Van village in the peak tourist season, you should book an overnight homestay in advance.
- Because the terrain of Ta Van village is mostly mountainous, there are many rivers and streams, and the road is bumpy and difficult to travel, you should go in groups, follow each other closely to ensure safety and promptly help each other when something goes wrong. dental.
- The price of the food here is also quite high. Crazy eating a grilled chicken about 2kg is 500 thousand, a plate of grilled stream fish is .., so for those of you who travel on your own and want to save money, you should prepare food to bring or go back to town to eat. dine.
Source: Collected internet.